Homes shortage could cause school cuts - head

A head teacher in the Lake District has warned the lack of affordable housing in the area could lead to staff cuts.

Over the past decade, the number of students enrolled at Hawkshead and Esthwaite Primary School has halved to 47.

Head teacher Carol Sharp said families were unable to live in the catchment area because of a lack of affordable housing and warned she may eventually have to reduce staffing levels.

The Lake District National Park Authority said it would respond "in due course" to a vote of no confidence by the Lakes Parish Council over the price of properties in the area.

Ms Sharp said eight children in year six were about to leave Hawkshead Primary to go on to further education, but only one new child had enrolled for September.

"We're faced with a problem that there just aren't the families in the catchment area due to the lack of affordable housing," she said, adding: "Schools are the lifeblood of a community so it's really important that they remain viable."

Rev John Dixon, the vicar at St Michael and All Angels in Hawkshead, said he had seen many changes in the area over the past 20 years.

Mr Dixon said: "We see over and over again when houses become vacant, they get sold as second homes or as holiday lets and the population has got considerably smaller."

Last year, the average price of a house in the Hawkshead area was more than £800,000.

Parents at Hawkshead and Esthwaite Primary school were also concerned that there was not a short term fix.

Claire McKeever said: "You can't just build a house in a few weeks, it needs decades of planning and that's just not what we've had unfortunately in this area."

The new government and chancellor Rachel Reeves said one of their priorities was to build more homes over the next five years including affordable housing.

In July, the Lakes Parish Council passed a vote of no confidence in the Lake District National Park Authority, accusing the authority of allowing the development of properties which exceeded what families could afford.

The authority said it would respond in due course.

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